Tobacco smoke pipe



Jan. 4, 1949. g, v. wR H JR I 2,458,460

TOBACC O SMOKE PIPE Filed March 25, 1946 Li m 22 m z.

m Z5 26 K 1f;

/Z3 WW 22 j f 24 1e /0 20 Cfiarles M M1196 17/2 Patented Jan. 4, 1949UNITED STATES .PATENT OFFICE TOBACCO SMOKE PIPE Charles V. Wright, Jr.,Tamaqua, Pa. Application March 25, 1946, Serial No. 656,961

1 Claim. 1

This present invention relates to improvements in tobacco smoke pipes.

In the construction of such pipes difficulty has been encountered inkeeping the smoke passage thereof throughly clean and free fromcontaminating influences of saliva, nicotine, and gummy matter formed bycontact between the saliva, nicotine and partially ignited clots oftobacco, etc. The nuisance resulting from this drawback, at times, hasinterfered with making a pipe a pleasure.

It is the main object and purpose of the present invention to eliminateany tendency of the tobacco smoke pipe becoming clogged at any pointalong the length of the smoke passage thereof, for any reasonwhatsoever. This object is effected by providing, in the stem of thepipe, and along the bottom of the bowl thereof, a formation of partsand. an assembly of same that conveniently assures roomy accumulation offoreign matter without interfering with withdrawal of smoke through thesmoke passage and mouthpiece of the pipe, and yet which permits instantremoval from the pipe of all impediments which may originate from thecontents of the bowl.

Oneof the objects of this invention is to provide a simple, easy andeificient method of cleaning the inside parts of a pipe with a view ofinterrupting the free and easy movement of objectionable or noxiousmatter along the smoke passage of the pipe, in the course of smoking thepipe, and enabling same to be discharged quickly from the pipe when itis not being smoked.

Another object thereof is to provide means in a pipe of the kinddescribed, whereby a through smoke passage is formed, opening out of thepipe from end to end thereof, and communicating with the bottom of thebowl for the purpose of receiving, dislodging, and discharging foreignmatter that is present in the pipe.

A further object thereof is to provide, in a pipe of the kind described,means for admitting air into the bowl and smoke passage of the pipe, ina regulatory manner.

Another object thereof is to provide, in a pipe of the kind described,means, manipulatable externally of the pipe, for thoroughly agitatingnoxious or foreign matter collectin therein, at any point, for thepurpose of loosening same and ejecting it speedily.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in thecombination, arrangement and details of construction disclosed in thedrawings and specifications, and then more particularly pointed out inthe appended claim.

In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters designate similarparts throughout the respective views,-

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of my invention Figure 2 is asectional detailed exaggerated view of the bowl end of the pipe, and

Figure 3 is a fragmental rear end elevation of my invention.

A cool smoke can be had from a tobacco smoke pipe only when conditionsin the interior thereof permit a separation to be made of the path offlow of smoke through the smoke passage of the stem from the path ofmovement or accumulation of noxious matter, such as nicotine or theusual viscous, gummy matter ever present in pipes, and, where provisionis also had for air-venting the smoke passage.

It is the primary purpose of this invention to accomplish this as shownin the drawings, which are merely illustrative thereof.

The elongated pipe stem of the pipe is designated I3, and the bowl isdenoted at I I, the interior or chamber of the bowl being indicated atI2.

The stem I 3 has a tongue and grooved connection with the hollow shankIII of the pipe, as shown in Figure 1, at I5a. I form a longitudinallyextending straight smoke passage I6 from end to end of the pipe, whichruns co-extensively with the length of the pipe. This smoke passageopens out of the mouthpiece I5 of the stem I3 of the pipe, at one endthereof, and also opens out of the outermost end of the pipe just to therear of the bowl II.

I provide an elongated spirally fluted or twisted rod I! of a lengthsubstantially equal to that of the pipe, and I locate same in thepassage I6, in such a way that some of its convolutions, or vanes I9,,will project into the bottom I8 of the chamber I201 the bowl II wherethis chamber communicates with the passage l6.

The inner end of the spirally twisted rod I1 is flush with the open endof the mouthpiece I5 of the pipe, while its outer end is flush with theouter end of the passage I6. This passage I6 is formed immediately tothe rear of the bowl II, with a portion of enlarged diameter forming acounterbore 2I, which communicates with that portion, 28 of passage I6,which recedes from the bottom I8 of the bowl chamber I2.

For the purpose of closing the exit of the passage I6 from its terminal20, I provide a cylinldrical plug 22, formed with an integral enlargedcylindrical head 23.

The plug 22 is snugly received in the counterbore 2! of passage I6, butthe head 23 thereof is located externally of the pipe, as is clearlyindicated in Figure 2. The head 23 will abut the adjacent surface of thepipe when the plug is completely seated in the counterbore 2|.

The bowl chamber I2 has an air outlet to the atmosphere. For thispurpose, bowl I I is formed with a port 25. The closure member 22-23 isalso provided with an air venting passage consisting of the part 26formed in the periphery of the 3 plug 22, and the part 21 formed in thehead 23. As is best seen in Figure 3, the passage 2E2'| of the closuremember may align with, or disalign with, the port 35, of the bowl H,according ,to the distance that the head 23 is rotated. Theperiphcry ofthe head 23 will be knurled as at 21.

With the foregoing construction, the use and operation of the pipe willnow be described,

When smoking tobacco is placed in thechamber l2 of the pipe, some of thesame will necessarily rest upon the vanes l9 of the spirally twisted rodI 1, because these vanes enter'the bottom of the bowl chamber at IS. Theonly way smoke can be drawn through the stem l3 of the pipe, into themouthpiece l5 thereof, out of the bowl chamber :2, is in a necessarilyspiral path around the vanes of the rod I6 extending the full length ofthe stem in the passage Hi. This slows up slightly the flow of thesmoke, and interrupts its free and untrammeled movement out of the stemof the pipe.

There is a tendency of saliva from the mouth of the smoker entering thestem {3 of the pipe by way of the mouthpiece I5. There is also atendency of nicotine and other noxious foreign matter finding its wayout of the chamber l2 of the bowl H into the passage 6. The saliva maymix with the foreign matter, producing aviscous, gummy mass that adheresto the wall of the passage with a clogging activity. At times the bottomid of the chamber 42 ofthe bowl may itself become clogged, or hamperedfrom passing smoke through the passage when a suction is establishedtherein, due to the presence of the gummy mass, or for other reasons.All such impediments will prevent-the pipe from functioning properly,to'the discomfiture of the smoker.

The spirally twisted rod I? performs the oflice of obviating thesehandicaps to enjoyable smoking. It operates'to loosen, to agitate,spread out and scrape off foreign matter of any "kind that tends tocling to any surface except itself. This is eifected by shifting thespirally twisted rod longitudinally in and out of the counterbored endof the passage 16, and also by rotating the .rod as this is done.

There is no recourse for the particles of noxious foreign matter presentin the pipe to directly or immediately move towards the mouthpiece endof the pipe once it gets into passage 16 and emerges from the bottom 18of the chamber of the bowl ll. Such particles will encounter theadjacent vane or convolution of the spirally twisted rod H and clingthereto, and under influence of the suctionin the stem [3 and passage16, such particles, before they have time to cling to the rod, may beginto move longitudinally of the rod. Itiis obvious, however, that thismovement is a slow, retarded, interrupted one, dueto the long series ofvanes onthe rod. Thiswill permit withdrawal of the smoke along thelength of the rod, as is desired, out of the mouthpiece 15 thereof,without ejecting any of the foreign matter at the same time.

Should there be no-response by way .of outflow of smoke andair as aresult of the suction created in the passage 16 by the smoker, it isapparent that an obstruction exists somewhere in the 'line oft-hepassage 1 Giromend to end of the pipe. The smoker will then take hold ofthe knurled head 23 of the ;rod l1 and rotate the same violently soas toagitate whatever solid matter engages the rod at any point along itslength in :the passage .lfi- Th m ef e th ee ius h passa 4 l6 and alsostir up the tobacco burnt mass in the bottom of the chamber l2 of thebowl ll, so this mass is spread out to allow voids to exist for thepassage of air.

If such rotation of the spirally twisted rod is not sufficient toaccomplish the cleaning of the interior of the pipe, the smoker willthen completely withdraw the rod out of the passage by taking hold ofthe head 23 thereof, and pulling the .rod bodily out of passage l6. Hecan then effectively and quickly clean whatever accumulations of foreignmatter he finds clinging onto the vanes thereof. He then replaces thespirally twisted rod in the pipe.

The operator can reciprocate the rod in the passage [6 by partiallypulling it out and pushing it in the same, and by rotating this rodwhile doing so he will, in most cases, loosen up accumulations of gummymaterial that clog up the passage IS.

A cool smoke is assured the smoker by reason of the fact that he canintroduce at will, air into the passage I6 and bowl of the pipe. Byturning head 23 of the rod properly, he can register the passage 2621 ofthe rod partial1y, or fully, with the port 25 of the bowl II. By movingthis head 23 properly, he can place the passage 29 2l out ofregistration with the port 25. In this way no air will enter the bowl orpassage l8 of the pipe. Since the smoke is filtered in making itstraverse through the long series of vanes of the rod out of the stem l3of the pipe, a cool, clean smoking is made possible at all times.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a simpler,easier and cleaner, as well as more sanitary, method of smoking atobacco pipe than will be had if the spirally twisted rod were'notpresent with its air admission valve.

I do not intend to confine myself to the exact details of constructionset forth, save as pointed out in the appended claim.

What I desire to secure by Letters Patent:

A smoking pipe comprising a bowl, a stern on said bowl, said stemhavinga longitudinal smoke passage therethrough intersecting said bowl at thebottom thereof and opening on the forward side of the bowl, said bowlhaving a counterbore concentric to said smoke passage, said bowl alsohaving an air vent passage communicating with said counterbore and saidbowl adjacent said smoke passage, a plug rotatable in said counterborehaving a vent passage therein for registration with the air vent of saidbowl, and a spiral member fixed on said plug disposed in said smokepassage along the length thereof whereby said plug may be rotated fordisplacing obstructions in-said smoke passage and positioning forcontrolling the air vent into said bowl.

CHARLES V. WRIGHT, Jn.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Great-Britain Oct. 1'3, 1927

